Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Fox Corporation, (“FOX” or the “Company”), is a news, sports and entertainment company, which manages and reports its businesses in the following segments: Cable Network Programming, Television and Other, Corporate and Eliminations.

The Transaction

FOX became a standalone publicly traded company on March 19, 2019, when Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. (“21CF”) spun off the Company to 21CF stockholders and FOX's Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), and Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class B Common Stock” and, together with the Class A Common Stock, the “Common Stock”) began trading independently on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“the Transaction”). In connection with the Transaction, the Company entered into the Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated as of March 19, 2019 (the “Separation Agreement”), with 21CF, which effected the internal restructuring (the “Separation”) whereby The Walt Disney Company (“Disney”) acquired the remaining 21CF assets and 21CF became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney. The Separation and the Transaction were effected as part of a series of transactions contemplated by the Amended and Restated Merger Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 20, 2018 (the “21CF Disney Merger Agreement”), by and among 21CF, Disney and certain subsidiaries of Disney.

In connection with the Separation, the Company entered into a tax matters agreement among the Company, Disney and 21CF which governs the parties’ respective rights, responsibilities and obligations with respect to certain tax matters. Under this agreement, 21CF will generally indemnify the Company against any taxes required to be reported on a consolidated or separate tax return of 21CF and/or any of its subsidiaries, including any taxes resulting from the Separation and the Transaction, and the Company will generally indemnify 21CF against any taxes required to be reported on a separate tax return of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

Pursuant to the 21CF Disney Merger Agreement, immediately prior to the Transaction, the Company paid 21CF a dividend (the “Dividend”) for the estimated taxes associated with the Transaction. The final determination of the taxes included an estimated $5.8 billion in respect of the Separation and the Transaction for which the Company is responsible pursuant to the 21CF Disney Merger Agreement and an estimated $700 million prepayment in respect of divestitures (collectively, the “Transaction Tax”).

As a result of the Separation and the Transaction, which was a taxable transaction for which an estimated tax liability of $5.8 billion was included in the Transaction Tax paid by the Company, FOX obtained a tax basis in its assets equal to their respective fair market values. This resulted in estimated annual tax deductions of approximately $1.5 billion, which is expected to continue over the next several years due to the amortization of the additional tax basis. Such estimates are subject to revisions, which could be material, based upon the occurrence of future events. This amortization is estimated to reduce the Company’s fiscal 2023 cash tax liability by approximately $360 million at the current combined federal and state applicable tax rate of approximately 24%.

Included in the Transaction Tax was the Company’s share of the estimated tax liabilities of $700 million related to the anticipated divestitures by Disney of certain assets, principally the FOX Sports Regional Sports Networks (“RSNs”), which Disney sold during calendar year 2019 (“Divestiture Tax”). During fiscal 2021, the Company and Disney reached an agreement to settle the majority of the Divestiture Tax and the Company received $462 million from Disney as reimbursement of the Company’s prepayment based upon the sales price of the RSNs. This reimbursement was recorded in Other, net in the Statement of Operations (See Note 20—Additional Financial Information under the heading “Other, net”). The balance of the Divestiture Tax is subject to adjustment in the future, but any such adjustment is not expected to have a material impact on the financial results of the Company.

Basis of Presentation

The Company’s financial statements as of and for the years ended June 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021 are presented on a consolidated basis.

The consolidated financial statements are referred to as the “Financial Statements” herein. The consolidated statements of operations are referred to as the “Statements of Operations” herein. The consolidated statements of comprehensive income are referred to as the “Statements of Comprehensive Income” herein. The consolidated balance sheets are referred to as the “Balance Sheets” herein. The consolidated statements of cash flows are referred to as the “Statements of Cash Flows” herein. The consolidated statements of equity are referred to as the “Statements of Equity” herein.